The Contract
by raidersoccer6
Summary: Bella and Edward had been best friends for their entire lives. At age 15 they made a pact and signed a contract. If neither of them were in a committed relationship by Bella's 25th birthday, Edward would help Bella get pregnant so she could have a baby.


**Esme POV**

Bella and Edward had been best friends and neighbors for their entire lives. Before that Renee and I were friends in high school and after graduating and getting married, moved into houses next to each other so that we would always be close, and that we could raise our families together.

As friends growing up, Bella and Edward had always been inseparable, starting as far back as when Bella was brought home by Renee and Charlie from the hospital and was laid in her crib next to a three month old, sleeping Edward that had fallen asleep only minutes before their arrival.

In school they had been in the same classes starting with preschool and going all the way through high school, with them both excelling in their honors and AP classes which of course made her parents as well as my husband and I very happy. The only class that they weren't equals in was Gym, and that was because Bella is rather clumsy, but my dear Edward was always around to keep her from getting too hurt. And he did save her from a lot of ER visits, or as I like to call it, trips to visit Carlisle.

They spent every summer together, be it at my house or right next door at Renee's. They could also often be seen running around Forks, La Push, and Port Angeles. They also had many firsts together. No, not like that…well, sort of. Anyway, Edward took Bella on her first real date, before which Renee and I of course had to take pictures. He was the first boy she ever held hands with, at around age two, and she was the first girl he kissed, when they were fifteen. But through all this they remained strictly friends which frustrated Renee and me to no end. I had once heard them talking about why they wanted to do all these things together, and they had both agreed that those things should be with someone that they trusted completely. Bella didn't trust the other girls of Forks with Edward, and Edward felt the same way about the boys with Bella.

All throughout their childhood, they rarely argued. They were very easy, happy children, and hardly even disagreed on anything, much less something major. One thing that caused a rather large argument was prom. Bella didn't want to go to prom at all; she had absolutely no desire to go. She didn't want to wear a dress, definitely didn't want to wear heels, and she didn't want any attention to be placed on her in any way, shape, or form. Edward, on the other hand, insisted that it was all part of the high school experience, and that Bella absolutely must go, more specifically with him. He had to bribe her, and she knew him well, because she chose a bribe that almost made him cave and give up, but in the end, she underestimated his commitment to her going to prom. I know that for Edward, it was completely worth it to let Bella be the only person other than himself, to every drive his precious silver Volvo.

And drive it she did, all the way to Seattle and back. She had outsmarted him. He had said that she could drive it for a day, and she had quickly agreed, and with her sudden acceptance of his condition, he hadn't even thought about limiting how far she could take it. In her defense, she returned it with a full tank, but he was still not very happy. Carlisle informed me that he sat around the house moping the entire day, constantly sneaking glances at the clock and sighing when he noticed that it had only been a few minutes since the last time he had checked. For her trip, she had asked her mother and I to accompany her, and we spent the entire day seeing sites, shopping and of course, going to as many book stores as Bella could find. When we pulled into my driveway late that night, I looked over at the window and saw the curtains flutter, and seconds later the door was open and Edward was flying toward the car. He did a quick check around the car, no doubt looking for any possible damage, before he offered to help carry our bags to the proper houses. But anyway, back to the main point.

Edward helped Bella, Renee and I pick out her prom dress, and then we all went to pick out a matching tux for Edward. The two of them went to get each other's corsage and boutonnière, and together they had to force Renee and I to stop taking pictures before they left because apparently they were going blind from the flashes. Whatever, there is no such thing as too many pictures.

Graduation was yet another time that Renee and I took "too many" pictures. Edward and Bella were co-valedictorians and combined their speeches in an effort to save time. It was really rather cute because they finished each other's sentences without even realizing it. This strengthened mine and Renee's belief that they would end up with each other. However, the fact that they were going to two very separate colleges weakened out resolve somewhat.

The summer after graduation Bella and Edward were very rarely seen apart, with some days seeming like they were literally attached at the hip. They spent almost every waking moment, and a lot of non-waking ones as well together before being separated for college. Bella was going to Stanford University on the west coast and Edward was heading off to Dartmouth College on the east coast. For being nearly inseparable, they sure did a good job picking schools that were on opposite sides of the U.S. 3,091.9 miles were about to separate the two best friends, and though they didn't say it out loud, anyone could see; they were terrified.


End file.
